Agile Project Management Software

One of the most talked about topics in our class thus far has been centered around Agile Methodologies and the way that they are transforming product, system, and project development. Based on the principles of incremental and iterative change, this methodology has grown in popularity across numerous industries and organizations. In recent developments, there are now software versions that help teams run on Agile, which are beneficial for new MIS grads and industry professionals to know about.

In the article, "Zoho Launches Agile Product Management Software", found on businesswire.com, Zoho, a cloud computing company, has created a agile project management software solution that can be utilized through its online cloud platform. Titled Zoho Sprints, the software combines basic agile principles and encourages teams to make iterative changes and release shippable products quickly. More specifically, "Zoho Sprints follows the scrum framework and combines backlogs, agile reports, collaboration tools, and customizable scrum boards, making it ideal for software developers and other teams that follow the agile methodology." The competitive advantage of this agile project management software over ones that are already on the market is that it is faster and simpler to use, taking the complexity out of product development for teams of all sizes. Some of the major features include:

• Backlog plan development - create user stories, document problems, substantiate to-do lists

• Scrum board task scheduling - update task statuses, track task progress, personalize team workflow

•  Analytical progress visualization - produce velocity charts and burn-down reports, identify team struggles and successes 

• Tools for collaboration - share team and individual progress, engage with team members no matter where their location, enhance team interaction with meeting reminders and feeds

• Timesheet hour logging - log billable and non-billable hours, approve time entries

Today, this agile project management software is priced using a monthly subscription model per user, which start at $20 for 20 users per month to include an unlimited amount of projects. Zoho Sprint and other types of software that integrate agile methodologies will continue to become more popular and prevalent with the rise of agile development methodologies.

Questions

1. Given the information that we have received about Agile Methodologies in class, do you think this software would be beneficial to teams running on this type of development?
2. Have you ever used software that is centered around agile methodologies?
3. If you've had work or internship experience working in Agile, do you think this type of software would be useful?


Link to article: "Zoho Launches Agile Project Management Software"